"A bit fancy for a meet and greet don't you think?" Alex pointed out as we were ushered to our reserved table at a very high end restaurant in London.
"They want to make a documentary so they have to have money…" I said. The hostess led us to a more secluded area of the restaurant and sat us at a fancy round table that had the whole salad and soup silverware set up.
"Anyone can make a documentary…you just need a camera. To get the documentary noticed…that is when you need money," Alex explained.
"Why did I invite you again?" I asked as I pulled out my chair and took a seat. "Your guest will be right with you," the hostess told us before walking away. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when I watched Alex turn to glance a look at her ass as she retreated.
"You wanted moral support that's why," Alex replied after she was done starting.
The return phone call was fairly short since it was in the early morning and the man on the other end had been sleeping when I called him. He told me that he would like to meet me and go over everything over dinner; he also told me that he would call me at a more reasonable time with the details of where to meet.
I didn't get much sleep after the phone call; I basically just laid on the couch and stared at my ceiling going over what had happened only a few hours before. I still haven't told anyone about what happened between me and Amanda; as far as Alex was aware Amanda didn't come home again.
It's been three days now and I still haven't heard anything from her…not that I really want to. I know she has been to the house because I see the evidence of her shuffling around in the dressers for more clothes. The past few days I have been in a trance trying to figure out where my relationship started to go haywire…was it after I came back from the island or…was it going downhill before that and I just didn't notice?
"Oi…Croft…" Alex's voice broke through my thoughts. I pulled out of my trance and glanced up at her.
"Sorry…did you say something?" I asked.
Alex gave me a concerned look before answering me, "I asked how the tattoo has been healing?"
"A little irritating and a little scabbing but I've been putting on the ointment," I replied.
"Same here but it should be fine after a few weeks. That girl did a great job on yours…and she couldn't keep her hands off you," Alex said with a sly grin.
"Pardon? She was tattooing me…how the hell do you figure that?" I asked. A little blush started to form on my cheeks as I thought of the blonde tattoo artist; I still had her number…that same night I had programed it into my phone.
"Oh please…you naïve child. Her left hand would wander a few times and caress your skin," Alex chuckled.
"I'm not naïve," I replied. I was about to give Alex the finger but I noticed the hostess walking our way with a tall man behind her. "Here you go sir," the hostess said to the man before going back to her post. Alex and I stood up right away to greet the man, "Sorry about the wait," he said as he held out his hand to both of us, "got caught up on a phone call," he explained.
"It's alright," I replied.
"My name is Toru Nishimura and it a great pleasure to meet you Ms. Croft," the man introduced as he sat down. "Thank you…this is my guest Alex Walker," I told him.
"Nice to meet you," Alex said. "Pleasure," Mr. Nishimura replied. It was silent for a few seconds before the waiter came over. As Mr. Nishimura acquired about wine list I took a look at him. He was definitely business right down to the charismatic personality to the tailored suit. But he was slightly different…maybe it was it broad form. He was a lot taller and bigger than I expected; he wasn't big as in heavy but he had large shoulders and arms. His hair was cut short and clean, his face was shaven smooth and his posture was very proper. I got the feeling that he was very rarely out of his business zone and was always working.
"Is red wine alright for you guys?" Mr. Nishimura asked. "Yes," I answered. The waiter nodded before walking off to grab our drink.
Mr. Nishimura reached into his chest pocket of his jacket and grabbed his phone. He glanced at it briefly before placing it on the table beside his silverware set up.
"Well…I have to say I am very appreciative that you returned my phone call and showed interest in the documentary," he informed me. "It would be a great opportunity," he added.
"I'm interested but not convinced," I told him. I didn't want him getting ahead of himself; I still had a lot of questions that I wanted answered before I considered signing on for anything.
"Of course," he said with a grin. He was confident; there was no doubt about that. I could see that he wasn't worried about getting me to climb on board. The waiter came back and poured our wine and left the bottle on the table; during that time Mr. Nishimura's phone went off. He answered it and said a few words in Japanese before hanging up. I don't think he was aware that I was very well familiar in Japanese and understood what he had said to the person on the other line.
"We have another guest joining us and I think they'll be able to answer all the questions you have," he informed as he stood up.
Mr. Nishimura stood up and gestured to someone to come over. I was a little confused but my thoughts quickly vanished when I caught sight of her. She had her phone pressed to her ear and appeared to be having a heated conversation with someone. She must have seen Mr. Nishimura because she looked over at him and waved before making her way towards us.
I could feel the heat crawling up my neck to my cheeks. It didn't help when Alex nudged me, "Close the hanging jaw," she whispered. Without moving my line of vision I managed to punch Alex in the leg before reaching over and taking a large sip of my wine.
She was breathtaking…she had short black hair that reached to the top of her shoulders and angled in layers around her face. Her face was small and bright…didn't have a blemish on it. I had to force myself to look away before my mind tried to undress her since her choice of clothes left little to the imagination. Her green blouse was tight and form fitting as well as low-cut…very low cut. And her jeans…I'm surprised she was able to walk in them. She probably has to be cut out of them for them to come off. I smiled a little when I saw that she actually had navy green sneakers on…that I didn't expect but they did match the green shirt and the black jeans.
"Lara…this is the director and producer Samantha Nishimura," Mr. Nishimura introduced. Samantha hung up her phone and held out her hand.
"Oh my god…I am so excited to meet you," she started. I could feel the high spirited energy oozing off her. I was still a little in shock about the fact that I had just been ogling Mr. Nishimura's daughter but the more I looked between the two the more I could see the resemblance.
"Pleasure to meet you to Ms. Nishimura," I told her. "Please…call me Sam. I hate formality and my last name makes me feel like my mother," she said before giving me a wink. She let go of my hand and reached for Alex's. "You're tall…let me guess…6'2?"
Alex laughed, "Close…6'3"," she told her. Sam gave her a bright smile before taking a seat next to her father and refocusing her attention back to me. I couldn't help but get captivated by her eyes; they were brown…almost like an almond color but slightly darker.
"I've been dying to meet you…" Sam said to me. I couldn't help but blush a little, "Really?"
"Yeah…the artifacts that you've obtained have the museums practically jizzing everyplace-"
"Samantha!" Mr. Nishimura scowled at her. Sam glanced over at him and rolled her eyes.
"I know that the museums have been offering you loads of money to talk but…you've turned them away at every time. I find that interesting…plus when I first saw you on the news I thought you looked badass," Sam said. I was a bit overwhelmed with her explanation and "Badass" what's that supposed to mean?
"Um…thanks," I replied. Sam winked at me and gave me a vibrant smile before looking down at her menu.
"Samantha is going to be in charge of this whole project; I am the finance. Once the documentary finishes I will watch it along with a few others and then we will go through the airing process," Mr., Nishimura explained.
"What are the plans for this project?" I asked. Sam closed her menu and placed it to the side, "The plan is to let you talk about what you discovered. You found some really cool things but you really haven't been given credit for it nor have you been allowed to talk about them. I assume that you know about what the artifacts are and their importance?" Sam asked.
I nodded my head. "What I want to do it to have you explain the artifacts and what they were used for during that period; what their significance is. A lot of the artifacts you found were Japanese and are very cultural but are rare to hear about nowadays. So this is a way to educate the people…" Sam pointed out.
"So…we will only be talking about the artifacts?" I asked.
Sam was about to reply but the waiter choose that moment to interrupt for our orders. I got something light since my stomach wasn't feeling to well but I was surprised when Sam ordered a large rib eye with mash potatoes and rice as her sides. I was more impressed than surprised since girls her size seemed to refuse to order a proper meal when they are out. Amanda was one of those girls in the beginning of our relationship…
"Yes but…" Sam started to answer my question. My heart sank a little when she said but…I knew that there was another reason.
"…I want to do a little background on you…like your parents and why you followed in their footsteps," Sam finished.
It always comes back to the…wait…what? I furrowed my brows in confusion, "You want to do a history on me?" I clarified.
"Yeah. For the beginning of the documentary to let the people get a feel of the person who is going to going on and on about these old dusty artifacts," Sam joked a little. I let a small smile grace my lip. "And your parents are well known but you are not…you are known by association. I think it is time they meet Lara Croft."
I didn't say anything…I was on board about the artifacts but I was a little unsure about talking about my parents. It was a touchy subject for me for years since for the longest time I didn't believe much of what my father said.
"You don't have to decide on any of this right now…I mean think about it. And if you decide to go along then we can discuss more about what information you want to talk about and what location to film. Right now I'm just happy to meet you and to have you even listening to my idea," Sam reassured me. I was very drawn to her…she captured my attention right away and I wasn't sure why. I'm not sure if it's because of her high energy but still somewhat business personality or if it's because she is so…god I don't even know how to describe her.
"Are you in charge of this whole thing?" Alex asked Sam. Sam shrugged, "No…I am only in charge of the film production and the set up. He…" Sam gestured to her father, "is in charge off everything else."
"How long have you been filming…" I asked.
"I've been filming things since I was little but getting paid for it…I guess a few years. I got a job as a small cameraman when I was in college during my sophomore year," Sam explained.
"Where'd you go to college?"
"University College London…it wasn't much but I didn't get the best grades to really go anywhere else," she said.
"I almost went there…but at the last minute changed my mind to Cambridge," I told her.
"I could have met you sooner…" Sam stated. Alex chuckled, "That is unlikely…unless you spent every waking moment in the library," she said. I elbowed her in the ribs. Sam laughed, "I don't even think I knew where the library was," she confessed. "But I did know where all the parties were…" Sam grinned at me.
"Alright…" Mr. Nishimura said. After that we didn't talk much about anything else except finances. Mr. Nishimura went on about the funding of the documentary, the small percentage the museums were going to get and what my possible pay could be. I tried to pay attention to him but his daughter was making it very difficult. She had gotten bored of her father's talking right away and had begun to play with her phone. I assumed she was playing a game of some sort due to the occasional whoops and groans.
When the food came Sam tried to change the topic of the conversation but her father wouldn't allow the change…he kept going. I basically nodded and once in a while would add a few words.
"Of course this all isn't defendant; this is just a rough overview of everything. I'll have a contact written up for you to look over and it will give more detail of everything. And once you and Sam agree on how the documentary is going to play out then I'll have the final contact that you'd be able to sign," Mr. Nishimura said when dinner was coming to an end.
"That sounds good to me," I said. The waiter came over and dropped the check on the table which Mr. Nishimura grabbed right away.
"What do we owe you?" Alex asked.
"Nonsense…nothing at all," Mr. Nishimura replied. "But-" Alex was cut off by Mr. Nishimura's raised hand, "You were invited out by me…and I'll be paying."
"Best get used to it…he will never let you pay when you go out with him," Sam informed us. She had gotten up and stretched her arms. Her blouse rose up a little to expose the smooth tan skin of her stomach; I forced myself to look away.
It didn't take the waiter long to return and swipe the card. Once he was back we were all standing ready to leave. Sam took lead and headed towards the door.
When we were outside she turned to me, "Let me see your phone," she said. "What," I said unintelligently. "Your phone…so I can give you my number," she answered with that sweet smile.
I did as told without any thought. "There…I sent myself a text so I have your number too" she told me.
"Okay…thanks."
"We will be in touch with you guys shortly," Sam's father said.
"Sounds good," Alex said. At that moment a man dressed in a suit came walking up to Sam and her father, "Your car is ready, sir," the man said.
"Thank you," I said to them.
"Have a good night," Mr. Nishimura said before walking off. "Bye…I'll be in touch," Sam said as she waved her hand excitedly and followed her father. I watched the black car drive off until I couldn't see it anymore. I kept staring at the long gone car until I felt my phone vibrate in my hand; I looked down and chuckled.
It was a text from Sam…it was great meeting u! .
The text was cute with all the smiles but the funny part was that when Sam had put in her contact she had added a bunch of smiles and a dinosaur to her contact name.
"This is going to be a fun documentary," Alex said next to me.
"What?" I asked looking up from my phone. I didn't like the sly grin she was giving me.
"Nothing...but you're cute when you blush especially when it's every five minutes," she commented before starting off down the street towards the tube.
"Piss off I wasn't blushing," I denied but I could feel myself blushing as the words left my mouth.
I don't know about fun but this…project was certainly going to be interesting. I let out a sigh before stuffing my hands in my pocket and followed after Alex.